Stokeling v. United States
U.S. Supreme Court · decided January 15, 2019 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Decided
- January 15, 2019
- Docket
- No. 17-5554
- Argued
- October 9, 2018
- Term
- October Term 2018
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority author
- Justice Thomas
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
How the Justices voted
- Majority
- Justice Thomas (wrote), Justice Breyer, Justice Alito, Justice Gorsuch, Justice Kavanaugh
- Dissenting
- Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Ginsburg, Justice Sotomayor (wrote), Justice Kagan
Oral argument transcript and advocates
Opinion excerpt
Justice THOMAS delivered the opinion of the Court. This case requires us to decide whether a robbery offense that has as an element the use of force sufficient to overcome a victim's resistance necessitates the use of "physical force" within the meaning of the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B)(i). We conclude that it does. I In the early hours of July 27, 2015, two people burgled the Tongue & Cheek restaurant in Miami Beach, Florida. Petitioner Denard Stokeling was an employee of the restaurant, and the Miami Beach Police identified him as a suspect based on surveillance video from the burglary and witness statements. After conducting a criminal background check, police learned that Stokeling had previously been convicted of three felonies-home invasion, kidnaping, and robbery. When confronted, Stokeling admitted that he had a gun in his backpack. The detectives opened the backpack and discovered a 9-mm semiautomatic firearm, a magazine, and 12 rounds of ammunition. Stokeling pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing a firearm and ammunition after having been convicted of a felony, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). The probation office recommended that Stokeling be sentenced as an armed career criminal under ACCA, which provides that a person who violates § 922(g) and who has three previous convictions for a "violent felony" shall be…
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